Reinforced partitioned carrier



April 13, 1954 w RINGLER 2,675,158

REINFORCED PARTITIONED CARRIER Filed Feb. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l I25! 27 3 Z4 I I N V EN TOR. hf; 4 MM 4 ENG-1. 51

BY Y

ATTORlN EYS.

April 1954 w. A. RINGLER REINFORCED PARTITIONED CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

Mu /.4M 4. 171

@lllwv M Filed Feb. 23, 1950 ATTORN E YS- Patented Apr. 13, 1954 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE REINFORCED PARTITIONED CARRIER William A. Ringler,Wayne, Pa., assignor to The Gardner Board and Carton 00., Middletown,Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 23, 1950, Serial No.145,634

My invention pertains to paperboard carriers, finding a. particularfield of utility in the merchandising and transportation of assembliesof bottles, but useful for other purposes as well.

An object of my inventionis the provision of an improved, fullypartitioned paperboard carrier.

Another object of the invention isthe provision of a fullypartitionedcarrier adapted for filling on automatic machines, especiallyunder circumstances where a plurality of carriers are as sembled in abottle crate and are there filled, under which circumstances the carriermust present no parts which, either in normal position, or in displacedposition, will interfere with the filling operation.

As a consequence, it is an object of my inven tion to provide a carrierwhich, when in erected condition, is exceptionally rigid and not liableto displacement of its parts.

It is an object of my invention to provide a carrier which isexceptionally sturdy and strong, and when made of suitably durable andmoistureresistant paperboard, is capable of making many carrying trips,and has a long service life.

It is an object of my invention to provide a carrier which is reinforcedand braced at all points of possible failure, especially as hereinaftermore specifically set forth.

It is an object of my invention to provide a carrier having amulti-thickness reinforced top rail for purposes hereinafter described.

It is an object of my invention to provide a novel and improved mode ofmanufacture of carriers having the advantages noted.

These and other objects of the invention, which will be set forthhereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in theart upon readingthese specifications, I accomplish in that structure and by that mode ofoperation of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.Reference is made to the drawings forming a part hereof wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the paperboard blank for the exemplary formof my carrier.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are respectively plan views of the blank showingvarious stages in the folding and gluing thereof.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of my structure showing a, subsequentstep.

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the carrier taken along theline $.6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a perspective viewof thecarrier structure after yet anotherforming step.

9 Claims. (01. 22 9-28) Figurell is ahorizontal sectional view takenalong the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a partial perspective view showing a final assemblyoperation.

Figure 10 is an elevational view with parts in section showing thecompleted carrier in erected condition.

Figure 11 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line i I-l I ofFig. 10. t

Figure 12 is an end elevational view of my carrier in erected condition.

Referring first to Figure 1, I have there shown a paperboard blank formy carrier. The blank may be formed, as will readily be understood bythose skilled in the art, from paperboard of suitable characteristics bycutting and scoring, as on a conventional cutting and scoring press. Thepaperboard may be printed as desired, and it is a particular advantageof my construction that all externally exposed board portions in theerected carrier, including the cross bar hereinafter described andadjacent parts of the central longitudinal partition element, are formedfrom the same sideof the paperboard material, and therefore may beprinted or decorated inexpensively in one operation. It will be notedthat the paperboard blank of Figure 1 is substantially rectangular ingeneral outline, and can be cut from a larger sheet or supply of boardwith very little wastage.

The blank is so cut and scored as to provide a side wall element l, abottom element 2, and a side wall element 3, articulated together in theorder named. In the various plan views in the drawings, solid linesrepresent lines of cut, dotdash lines represent lines of score, anddashed lines represent lines of weakening. The bottom panel 2 isprovided with a median score line 4 for the collapsing of the bottompanel in the erected carrier. To each of the end edges of the side wallelements l and 3, I articulate end wall elements 5, .l, 9 and [2. Eachof these elements has a. width substantially equal to the width of halfof the bottom element 2. The lines of out defining what will be theupper edges of the end wall elements are preferably slantwise disposed,as indicated at l3, l4, l5 and It, so as to provide bracing elements fora longitudinal central partition structure as hereinafter set forth.

Lateral partition forming structures are articulated to the upper edgesof each of the side wall elements I and 3. Thus, in direct articulationwith the side wall I, there is a structurecomprising an attachment panelIT, to the side edges of which partition forming elements It and I9 arearticulated; and these in turn bear attachment flaps 26 and 2! which, inthe final structure, will be adhesively secured to the longitudinalcentral partition element. The score lines between elements i3 and 23,and between elements [5 and with tongues 26 and 33, as hereinabovedescribed.

The depth of the partition structures just described is preferably thesame as the depth of the side wall elements I and 3, or very nearly so,so that the lateral partitions will extend to or nearly to the bottom ofthe erected container;

but this does not form a necessary limitation upon my invention, andvariationfis permissible and, indeed, desirable, in view of variationsin the height of the bottles or other articles to be carried in thecarrier, as hereinafter more fully explained.

The over-all depth of the blank is greater than the combined depths ofthe partition structures, side wall elements and bottom element, asshown,

leaving at the top and bottom of the blank narrow strips of the paperboard material indicated at SI and 32. The dimensions of the structureare preferably so chosen that the combined depth of the side Wall,partition structure and strip element is not greater than the height ofarticles to be placed in'the carrier to permit the stacking of loadedcarriers one upon another where this is desired; otherwise the combineddepth may be chosen to position the cross bar, hereinafter referred toabove or below the tops of the articles. 1

Glue flaps 33 and 34 are articulated to the side edges of the endelements 5 and 1 and to the end edges of the narrow strip 3| at one endof the blank, and in a similar fashion, glue fiaps and 36 arearticulated to the outer edges of the end wall elements 9 and I2 and theouter edges of the narrow strip 32 at the other end of the blank. Itwill be noted that the combined length of the attachment portions I'Ior24, the

lateral partition panels [6, H) or 25, 26 and the if articulatedattachment flaps 20, 2! or 21, 2-8, is less than the combined length ofthe side wall elements and their articulated end wall elements, so thatthe narrow strips 3| and 32 have angularly extending end portions,"indicated at am and 31b, and 32a and 32b respectively. The cuts, l3, l4,l5 and 16 which define the upper edges of the end wall elements, arecarried, as shown, to the score lines by "which the glue flaps 313, 34,35 and 36 are articulated to the end walls and to the lower strips.

An articulated flap 3! is formed on one of the narrow strips 3| or 32,and it will be seen that this flap is approximately half only of thelength of the narrow strip upon which it is formed. Substantiallycentrally of the narrow strips 3| and 32, I provide lines of weakening38 and 39, as may be done with a notched rule in the cutting and scoringdie. Along the median score line in the bottom panel 2, I may form shortslits 40 and 4|, slightly cross out at their ends to prevent tearing;and in the glue flaps 33, 34, 35 and 36, I form notches adjacent their:lines of articulation, so as to provide tabs 42, 43, 4-1,

and coacting with the slits as hereinafter described.

The folding and gluing of the blank hereinabove described is bestaccomplished on a rightangle folding and gluing machine as known in theart. It may, however, be otherwise accomplished. The present inventionis not limited to the use of any particular mechanical agencies for theperformance of the method steps hereinafter described. Indeed, themethod steps, as such, may be performed by hand; but it will beunderstood that mechanization greatly reduces the cost of the operation.In the exemplary operation on a right-angle gluer, with the blanktraveling in the direction of the arrow 46 in Figure 1., suitableadhesive is spotted on the blankas shown in shaped areas in the figure.The attachment portions [1 and 24 of the lateral partition structuresare substantially covered with adhesive, as shown at Ila and 24a, whileadhesive areas 41, 48, 49, 50, 5|, 52, 53 and 54 are formed on the glueflaps 33, 34, 35 and 36. The shape and disposition of the areas '48, 56,5| and 53 is such as will correspond with the ends of the attachmentflaps 20, 2i, 21 and 28 on the lateral partition structures when theseare folded over, as herein after described, and the glue flaps 33, 34,35 and 36 are folded inwardly; while the areas 41, 49, 52 and 54 correspond to end portions 31a, 3Ib, 32a, and 32b of the narrow strips'3l and32, which will be lapped by the glue flaps 33, 34, 35 and 36 when theseare folded over.

With adhesive spotted on the blank as shown in Figure 1 and hereinabovedescribed, the lateral partition structures are folded inwardly. Thismay be accomplished in any way desired, but is usually done by strikingthe partition structures upwardly either by machine elements or byblasts of air sufficiently to enable them to be properly engaged bystationary or moving folding elements. The adhesive areas Ila and 241act to effect the adhesive attachment of the elements 11 and 24 to therespective side walls I and 3. This disposition of the lateral partitionstructures is illustrated in Figure 2.

With the blank still traveling in the direction of the arrow 46, thenext operation will be an inlolding of the glue flaps 33, 34, 35 and 36,as illustrated in Figure 3. This results in the attachment of an endportion of the element 20 to the glue flap 33, of an endportion of theelement 2| to the glue flap 34, of an end portion of the element 21 tothe glue flap 35, and of an end portion of the element '28 to the glueflap 36. Also, the end portions 31a, 3|b, 32a and 32b of the narrowstrips 3! and 32 become adhesively attached to overlapping portions ofthe lue flaps 33, 34, 35 and 36 respectively.

The partially folded and glued blank now is transferred from the firstsection of the machine to the angularly related second section thereofthrough the use of the conventional transfer mechanism, and movesthrough the second section of the machine in the direction of the arrow55 in Figure 3. Adhesive is applied to the folded-over glue flaps, or apair of them, such as 35 and 36, to the adjacent narrow strip 32(excepting for a small central portion thereof, 56) and to the adjacentlateral partition attachment flaps, such as 2'! and 28, together withtheir tabs 29 and 30, as indicated by shaded areas in Figure 3. Themachine next folds the blank along the median score line of the bottompanel 2, bringing the aforementioned glue flaps, narrow strip, at-

tachment flaps and tabs into overlying juxtaposition with thecorresponding elementsof the other half of the blank. The blank nowappears as in Figure 4, and is in completely folded and glued condition,although not completely formed. It requires certain other operations forits complete formation, as will now be described; but if desired, thefolded and glued structure may be shipped to the user in the formillustrated in Figure 4.

In this form the narrow strips 3| and 32are glued to each other,excepting over the area 55, and form a sort of bar extending across theupper part of the structure. This bar is now separated substantiallycentrally by breaking the narrow strips 3! and 32 along their lines ofweakening 38 and 39, as illustrated in Figure 5. Figure 6 is across-sectional view showing the disposition of interior parts in thestructure of Figures 4 and 5, the carrier being partially erected forthe sake of clarity. The side wall portions l and 3 lie opposite eachother; the bottom panel 2 has its halves folded with respect to eachother along the median score line, while the end wall elements 5 and 9and l and i2 are angularly related to each other in pairs extendingoutwardly from the ends of the side walls. The lateral partitionelements l8, I9, and 26 parallel the end wall elements, as shown. Oneend of each of the lateral partition elements is attached through themedium of the attachment portions I! or 24 to one of the side wallsrespectively, while the lateral partition attachment flaps 2U, 21, and2!, 28, are at tached to each other and to the end wall glue flaps 33,34, 35 and 36, making up a central partition structure (inclusive of thetabs 22, 29, and 23, 30 which are attached to each other in pairs) whichlies in two longitudinally spaced portions designated as A and B inFigure 6.

Having produced the structure having the disposition of parts shown inFigure 6, and having severed the bar portions of the structuresubstantially centrally as shown in Figure 5, the next step in thecomplete formation of my carrier is to push inwardly upon one of thepairs of end wall elements, as indicated by the arrow 51 in Figure 6.This produces a new disposition of parts, such as is illustrated insection in Figure 8, where a similar numbering of the elements willenable them to be identified. In perspective the structure now appearsas shown in Figure 7, and it will be noted that the severed portions ofthe bar formed by the adhesive union of the narrow strips 3! and 32 havebeen brought into face-to-face juxtaposition, forming a new bar which isonly half as long as the bar illustrated in the structure of Figure 4,thus providing a collapsed structure which may be erected into therectangular form illustrated in Figure 11. The final operation in theformation of the paperboard carrier involves the folding of the flapelement 3! over on the juxtaposed portions of the strips 3'! and 32, andthe fastening of the flap in place, as by adhesive, or by the use ofstaples 58 or other fastening means. This provides a top bar for mystructure which, throughout its central portion, is of the thickness offive layers of the paperboard, and hence is very heavy and rigid. At theends the effective thickness is increased by the addition of theglueflaps 33, 34, 35 and 36, giving a structure of extraordinaryrigidity. It will be noted that the two parts of the centrallongitudinal partition structure, A and B, have been brought together,as in Figure 8; and this relationship is maintained by the barstructure, as will be evident. structures of the central partitionstructure have The vertically rising a quadruple thickness above the endwalls, and a'double thickness below the tops of the end walls, and henceare very rigid; while the triangular upwardly extending portions of theend wall elements demarked by the slanting lines of cut [3, M, l5 and16, as hereinabove described, vertically brace the longitudinalpartition and cross bar structure.

The height of the central partition and cross bar structure can be anydesired. As already indicated, if the over-all height is made less than.the height of the bottles or other articles to be carried in thecarrier, then my erected and filled carriers may be stacked directly oneupon the other. In this event, it becomes less advantageous to employthe cross bar as a carrying member to be engaged by the fingers, and Iprefer to provide a wire handle element, as illustrated in Figures 10and 12. This element (which may take various forms within the scope ofthe present invention), preferably takes a form more particularlyillustrated and described in my copending application entitled HandleStructure for Carriers, Serial No. 142,130 filed February 3, 1950, nowabandoned in favor of a. continuation in part application entitledHandle Structure for Carrier, Serial No. 167,808, filed June 12, 1950,and is so illustrated herein. The preferred form of handle is a wireelement, bent to provide a bail 59, at the ends of which there aredepending legs Ell and 6!. End portions of these legs are reversely bentto form hooks, and the ends of the legs as Well as the reversely bentportions are preferably deflected laterally, as at 62 and 63, outwardlybeyond the axes of the legs and El. This provides a structure in whichthe deflected portions of the handle element can engage and slide withrespect to the inward lateral edges of the side members of the centrallongitudinal partition, namely, the juxtaposed and adhesively joinedpairs of glue flaps 33, 35 and 34, 36. The handle can thus slide up anddown in the structure, and therefore will not interfere with stacking.The handle is fixed as to its uppermost position by an engagement of thereversely bent end portions with the thick bar at the top of thecarrier, which has hereinabove been described.

I am not restricted to this form of handle since other forms of handlewill serve for carrying purposes, and in particular, any handle havingmeans for engaging the bar of my carrier.

With the preferred handle element, when the reversely bent portions atthe ends of the legs 61? and B! are oppositely directed, the bailportion 59 of the handle element must cross the bar of the carrier. Thusthe handle is limited as to its possible downward motion, and inparticular, cannot accidentally be dislodged from the carrier. Moreover,the handle element will be so engaged with the central partitionstructure of the carrier that'the handle, in any position, cannot tiltto any great extent with reference thereto, so that the handle will notinterfere with automatic filling operations for the carriers, to whichreference has been made above.

That the carrier in its final form is collapsible, will be evident fromFigures '7 and 8. When the carrier is erected as in Figures 10 and 11,an erected form of the carrier may be maintained, even though thecarrier be empty, by initially engaging the juxtaposed tab elements 42,44 and 43, 45 in the bottom slits 40 and 4|, as is illustrated in Figure10. This is useful in positioning the erected carriers in crates forfilling by automatic machines. After the filled bottles have and 11.

be'eniintroduced'into the carriers, this engage- .ment may be broken;but the filled, bottles will then themselves maintain the carrier in thenoncoilapsed' condition.

The juxtaposed and adhesively secured pairs of tabs 22, 29 and 23, 3%,complete the central longitudinal partition across the central pair ofcell spaces, as will be evident from Figures These tabs also haveanother function. They form cut-outs in the lateral partition elementsi8, i9, and 26, as will be evident. There is considerable strain on thelateral partition elements or partitioned carriers, occasioned byoutward strains exerted upon the side wall elements. if attachment flapson the lateral partition elements were merely adhesively securedtogether or to other elements making up a lion-- gitudinal centralpartition, these strains would tend to peel the attachment flaps away.When the tabs 22, 23, 28 and 5d are formed as shown, however. and areadhesively secured together or to other longitudinal partition formingelements, the construction is such that the lateral partition elementsi8, i9, .25 and 2 cannot peel away from the central longitudinalpartition without a tearing of the board. This very greatly increasesthe strength of the structure in resisting outward pulls on the sidewalls.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from thespirit of it. Having thus described my invention in an exemplaryembodiment, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. In a paperboard bottle carrier, a unitary paperboard structure cutand scored to provide a bottom, side and end walls, a longitudinalcentral partition structure between the side walls, lateral partitionelements connecting the side walls and said partition structure, endportions of said central partition structure extending upwardly beyondthe tops of said side walls, and a plural-ply bar portioninterconnecting the upstanding ends of said longitudinal partitionstructure, said plural-ply bar portion comprising horizontally disposednarrow strips extending inwardly from opposite ends of the carrier,there being a pair oi such strips at each end of the carrier, the stripsin each pair lying in side-by-side contacting .relation, the pairs ofstrips being of lengths to overlap'one another in the erected carrierand lying in side-by-side contacting relation and secured together toform said plural-ply bar portion, said lateral partition elementsincluding attachment naps forming part of said longitudinal partitionstructure, said attachment flaps having integral tongues cut from'saidlateral partition elements and also forming part of the longitudinalpartition structure, the attachment flaps and tongues of opposite onesor said lateral partition elements being secured together, whereby saidlateral partition elements can be separated from the iongitudinalpartition structure only by a tearing action.

l 2. The bottle carrier claimed in claim 1 including tongues formed onthe bottom of said longitudinal partition structure and slits in thebottom of said carrier engageable with said tongues to maintain anerected condition of said carrier.

3. The bottle carrier claimed in claim 2 wherein said lateral partitionelements are articulated to attachment members which in turn arearticulated to the upper edges of said side walls, and lie "tion havinga glue flap, and in which the glue flap of adjacent end wall sectionsare inturned and adhesively secured together forming the upstandingportions of the longitudinal partition structure, the remainder of thecentral longitudinal partition being formed by the said attachment flapsand tongues of the lateral partition elements.

5. A paperboard bottle carrier comprising a bottom, side and end walls,a central longitudinal partition structure lying between the side wallsand extending parallel thereto, lateral partition elements connectingthe side walls and said central partition structure, end portions ofsaid central partition structure extending upwardly beyond the tops ofsaid side walls, and a plural-ply bar portion interconnecting theupstanding ends of said longitudinal partition structure, saidplural-ply bar portion consisting of narrow strips extending inwardlyfrom opposite ends of the carrier, there bein a pair of strips at eachend of the carrier, with the strips in each pair lying in side-by-sidecontacting relation, said pairs of strips being of lengths to overlapeach other and lying in side-by-side overlapping relation to form saidplural-ply bar portion, a flap element hingedly connected to anoutermost one of said strips, said flap element having a widthsubstantially equal to the width of said strips and lying in foldedcondition bridging the tops of the remainder of said strips, said flapbeing fastened in faceto-face contact with the outermost strip on theopposite side of said plural-ply bar porfiguration, and comprising aside wall panel, a

bottom and a side wall panel articulated together in the order named,partial end wall panels articulated to the ends of said side wallpanels, lateral partition structures articulated to the outer side edgesof said side wall panels, strip elements lying outwardly beyond the saidlateral partition structures and spaced from the outer edges of saidside wall panels by at least the width of said lateral partitionstructures, and glue flaps articulated to and common to the outer edgesof the partial end wall panelsand adjacent end edges of said stripelements, said strip elements extending continuously from the glue flapsat one end of the blank to the glue flaps at the opposite end of theblank'and connected to said respectiveglue iiaps, said strip elementseach havin a linejforseverance extending therethrough from top to bottomintermediate the ends thereof/ 8. The paperboard blank claimed in claim7 wherein one of said strip elements has a flap articulated to its outerside edge, said flaps lying wholly on one side of the line for severancein the strip to which it is articulated.

9. A paperboard blank for a bottle carrier, said blank having asubstantially rectangular configuration and comprising a side wallpanel, a bottom and a side wall panel articulated together in the ordernamed, partial end wall panels articulated to the ends of said side wallpanels, lateral partitionstructures articulated to the outer side edgesof said side wall panels, strip elements lying outwardly beyond saidlateral partition structures and spaced from the outer edges of saidside Wall panels by at least the width of said lateral partitionstructures, glue flaps articulated to and common to the outer edges ofsaid partial end wall panels and adjacent end edges of said stripelements, said strip elements having substantially centrally locatedlines for severance therein, one of said strip elements having a flap ofsubstantially one half its length articulated to its outer side edge,each of said lateral partition structures comprising a centralattachment portion, lateral partition elements articulated to theopposite side edges of said attachment portions, each bearing anattachment flap, the lines of articulation between said attachment flapsand said lateral partition elements being interrupted by U-shaped linesof cut extending into the said lateral partition elements to providetabs integrally con nected to said attachment flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,163,290 Powell June 20, 1939 2,245,675 I-lultin June 17,1941 2,418,350 Holy Apr. 1, 1947 2,458,281 Lupten Jan. 4, 1949 2,462,676Riley Feb. 22, 1949 2,525,686 Kowal Oct. 10, 1950 2,537,452 Forrer Jan.2, 1951 2,537,615 Arneson Jan. 9, 1951

